Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Over the past four decades, artist Isaiah Zagar has covered more than 50,000 square feet of Philadelphia with stunning mosaic murals. The murals chronicle his love for his wife, Julia, and subtly hint at the darker corners of his extraordinary imagination. IN A DREAM follows the Zagars as their marriage implodes and a harrowing new chapter in their life unfolds. Filmed in stunning high-definition and directed by their son, Jeremiah, IN A DREAM combines beautiful imagery with a fearlessly intimate, utterly captivating portrait of this unique family. Eight years in the making, this documentary has won numerous awards at festivals, including SWSX and Full Frame, and was short-listed for the Academy Awards. The soundtrack features music by the Books, Explosions in the Sky, Efterkland, and Kelli Scarr.

Review

IN A DREAM abounds in visual pleasure. ---The New York Times

IN A DREAM exhibits as much beauty and sensuality as Isaiah's work, while the unabashedly personal nature of the filmmaker-subject dynamic is as candid about familial madness as TARNATION, and captures more insight than those Friedmans did. ---The Village Voice

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

This little gem isn't so much a documentary as much as it is a story. It's rather typical in its portrayal of a family dealing with depression, adultery, and separation, but what draws it all together into one big mound of coolness is the creativity involved in Isaiah's (The Father) work as an artist, particularly focusing on mosaic design. I believe the movie said the family resided in Philadelphia, and Isaiah's entire focus is beautifying life in and around the city by putting himself and his loved ones into his work. That coupled with the slow deterioration of his immediate family make for an interesting, if somewhat involved, piece of film making. Typically, most documentaries bore me to yawns and tears, except for those based in the genre of science, but as much as I wanted to turn this off, I couldn't help but stay glued to it, for all the wonder and color of Isaiah's work, for all the strength and stability of his wife, Julia, for the innocence and caring demeanor of Zeke, the brother who isn't filming the movie, and for Jeremiah, the brother who is filming the movie, and his attention to detail in describing, not only with interviews, but with highly visual aspects, the nature of the world in which he grew up. This one gets four stars from me! **** Highly enjoyable!

Great movie about an interesting family. Makes me want to visit Philly to check out Isaiah's art. I enjoyed the beautiful animated sequences of photographs and illustrations, as well as moving shots through Isaiah's buildings.

I love this documentary. I buy very few discs and I waited a long time to purchase this because of the expense, but finally I was concerned it might go out of print and disappear. It is a documentary filmed by a son, in an attempt to better understand, and perhaps even forge a closer relationship with his father. His father is an eccentric, perhaps mentally ill artist who works in mosaics, in the most extreme fashion, and has been emotionally, if not physically absent for much of family life. Is a beautiful, emotional and disturbing family journey, as well as a glimpse into the mind and art of a very unique man. Truly unique.

This documentary is so very very good , I hope it gets nominated for an Academy Award , it is about passion and a couple with a real deep HEARTISTIC connection to each other , never mind the artistic . That their son made this movie was so very cool and that both sons stepped up to help the parents realign with each other goes so against what we are all taught in our culture today. BRAVO, BRAVO .BRAVO!